Integrin receptors in the glomerulus: potential role in glomerular injury

The extracellular matrix (ECM) exerts important effects on cell function that play a vital role in such diverse processes as embryogenesis, wound healing, cancer metastasis, and inflammation. Interactions between cells and matrix are mediated by a variety of cell surface receptors for different components of the ECM. The integrin family of matrix receptors, the best-studied group thus far, has already been shown to play an important role in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions in other systems. More recently, the types of integrin receptors present in the glomerulus and on cultured glomerular cells have been defined, and their potential involvement in glomerular injury has been postulated. This review will summarize current knowledge of integrin receptors, their distribution in the kidney, cultured glomerular cell-matrix interactions that might play a role in modulating the glomerular cell response to injury, and the potential role of integrins and other glomerular cell matrix receptors as targets of injury in proteinuric lesions.